The 1976 Bluecoats: An Incomplete Season

1976 Bluecoats

Program

Quejada

Drum Fugue (R James)

I Believe (Drake, Graham, Shirl, Styne)

Turkey in the Straw (D. Guion)

Theme from “Gold”

Theme from “SWAT” (B. De Vorzon)

Bridge Over Troubled Water (P. Simon)

Season Synopsis:Drum Corps Newsnoted on July 21st, 1976, “This corps has improved by about thirty points over this time last year, and they have to be a favorite for the DCI Class A title.” So it was bittersweet that the Bluecoats first trip to DCI Championships would be derailed by the outbreak of Legionaires Disease on the east coast that year. The decision was made not to make the trip at the last minute and left the season seeming incomplete for members and staff. The corps logged 5,000 miles during the summer tour, despite not traveling to Finals week, and were in more competitions in August of 1976 than all of 1974 and 1975. An internal “fact” sheet stated that the corps defeated a total of 137 drum and bugle corps including defeating Canadian corps 27 times, Michigan corps 17 and Pennsylvania 12.

The corps joined the Great Lakes Drum Corps Association and finished 2nd. The corps fielded 46 brass, 22 percussion, 10 rifles, 26 pikes and an American Flag party of 5, claiming to have only lost 9 members from the 1975 corps. The members represented 17 area high schools and colleges and boasted 17 “Superior” ratings for Bluecoat members in their home music programs in state competition. The corps stated it was self-sustaining, owning their own buses and being sponsored by the Canton Police Boys Club, Canton Post 44 of the American Legion, Floyd Hughes Post 693 of the VFW, AZD Sorority, Unique Club, and the Fraternal Order of Police as well as the “full backing and support” of the Canton city government.

Competitive Result:

2nd place at VFW Ohio State Championships, 3rd place at American Legion Ohio State Championships